//------------------------------// // Special // Story: Last Mare on Earth // by Coyotek4 //------------------------------// “… And yet, here I am,” she tells Sans as she concludes her story. Sans takes in Pinkie’s tale. “Ms. Pie, that was both horrifying and fascinating. I apologize again for making you relive all that.” “It’s OK. In a way, it feels good to have somepony else to tell at all. I mean, Boulder and Twiggy are great listeners, but to be honest, they’re not much for conversation.” “All the same, I won’t inquire about your ordeals again; this I promise.” Pinkie smiles. “There’s no need for that. If anything, it’ll probably be helpful for me to share more, if you’re OK with that. And hey, if you need to get anything off your chest, I’m all ears.” Sans sighs. “There’s little to say. I spent most of my time in the main office; I rarely saw anypony even when times were normal. And I never witnessed anypony just disappear into nothingness, much less those near and dear to me. That you’re still here with sound mind is astounding; you’re truly one of the strongest ponies Equestria has ever known.” Pinkie laughs, as hard as she had for some time. “Sans Smirk, I bet you say that to all the fillies!” “I do now, I guess.” Sans’s quip earns another hearty laugh from Pinkie. “You are too much, Sans!” Pinkie states as she catches her breath. “So, what do you want to do now that you’re here? I still got a lot of broken windowpanes to sweep up!” “Actually,” Sans says, “I’m a bit tired. It’s been a long journey for me to get here, and I have not slept in a proper bed for some time.” “You’re tired?” Pinkie asks. “I mean, the sun hasn’t even set yet …” She giggles at her comment, as Sans observes. “Don’t you get it? Because the sun won’t ever set, so we can’t …” She chuckles a bit more, then goes silent. “… Ah, yes. Most humorous, Ms. Pie. Very witty, as always.” “Thanks, Sans. You know … we’re already here at the Apple family barn. Ever sleep on a pile of hay?” “I can honestly say that I have never done so,” Sans replies. “There’s a first time for everything, right? …” Pinkie wakes to a crack of sunlight shining through the barn door. It had been the best she slept in some time. She bounds over to the door and shoves it open, letting in a flood of light. She turns to see a drowsy Sans rise from his haystack and rub his eyes. “Great day in the morning, right Sans!?” “I can now honestly say that I’ve slept on a pile of hay,” he admits. “So how was it? Fun, right?” “It was … different,” Sans states. Pinkie laughs. “I guess it’s an acquired taste. I’ve slept on all sorts of things; beds, couches, chairs, haystacks, cobblestone roads, fields … once, Rainbow Dash helped me sleep on a cloud! It was sooo fluffy!” “I suppose,” Sans remarks. “So I was thinking: if you don’t want to bother with cleaning up messes left by exponential megaphone damage, we could treat Boulder and Twiggy to trips to the quarry and forest.” “Actually, Pinkie Pie, I was thinking about your last encounter with Princess Twilight Sparkle. It sounded like she found something useful; maybe we should try to figure out what that was.” Pinkie ponders Sans’s suggestion. “I hadn’t given it much thought, to be honest.” Sans blinks in surprise. “But why not, Pinkie? What if the princess found a way to bring everypony back?” Pinkie laughs. “Maybe YOU should be the Element of Laughter, Sans! You are too funny right now!” Sans pauses as Pinkie’s laughter dies down. “It wouldn’t hurt to try, right?” he quietly adds. “It wouldn’t help, either,” Pinkie replies, her words now expressionless. “But why not? Pinkie Pie—” “Look,” she starts in a suddenly harsh tone, “I’ve lost everyone and everything I hold dear! I lost my friends, my friends, my pet, my friends’ pets … I have nothing left but a promise made to somepony who no longer exists! So please excuse my feeling of complete hopelessness, OK???” Pinkie turns away in disgust and takes several breaths. Sans waits several seconds before approaching her. “Twilight thought enough to confide in you, to at least attempt an explanation. She believed in you … why won’t you believe in yourself? You’re not just any pony, you know; you’re one of the Elements!” “Oh yeah, WONDERFUL!” Pinkie spins back around to Sans. “You know what friendship really needs? Honesty. Loyalty. Kindness. Generosity. You know what friendship doesn’t need? FLANKING ‘LAUGHTER’!!!” Sans sputters for a response as Pinkie continues: “Of all the millions of ponies in the world, all the creatures in the world … dragons, griffins, yaks … why me? Why not Twilight? She’s so smart, she’d be able to figure all this out. Or Rainbow Dash? She could have just flown so fast to make the world go back in time.” “I think you got that from a comic—” “What about Princess Celestia? All her strength, her power … but she’s gone too, I guess. So what’s so special about me?” Sans pauses, making certain Pinkie was done, before responding. “I knew you were special even before I met you for the first time; that meeting only strengthened my belief. Were it not for you, my life would have been very different … and much less significant. Remember, I only had what I had because of Cheese Sandwich, and he because of you.” Pinkie takes in Sans’s words as he continues. “And I can’t say I know every detail of what your life was life before all this, but I’m certain you’ve touched a lot of ponies.” He chuckles. “Maybe every pony in your town, and countless more throughout Equestria. And beyond … I have heard stories about your relationship with the yaks. Tell me: do you really believe Prince Rutherford wouldn’t think of you as ‘special’?” Lost for words, Pinkie looks down at the ground. “You don’t need magical powers, or wings, or anything like that. Your power comes from the hope you give to all around you, whether you remember that or not. I daresay, you’re the spiritual successor to Somnambula herself.” A smile comes to Pinkie’s face as she picks her head up. “We’ve met, you know.” “Then I’m sure you’ve heard as much from her. One of the very Pillars of Equestria.” Pinkie sighs, her smile now firmly planted on her face. “Thanks, Sans,” she says quietly. “I don’t know why you of all ponies remain … why we remain … but we’re here for a reason. And if there’s any way to figure out how to make things right again, even in vain, we owe it to all to at least try. ‘Hope for the best’, right?” Pinkie nods. “Hope is for the best, isn’t it.” Sans strolls towards the barn entrance and gazes into the distance. “It’s a long way to Canterlot.” “We got time,” Pinkie replies. “We got all the time in the world.”